Week One I was watching the show Game of Thrones last night. In the show, the royal family consists of a father (the military commander), his two sons (one is a midget and the other is a mighty night), and his daughter (the queen). After the knight brother is captured by an enemy kingdom, the father, Tywin, who despises his crippled son, plots to have him killed by falsely blaming him after the king is assassinated. Tyrion, the accused son, escapes and kills Tywin, then flees the city. The treatment of Tyrion by his own father wis disgusting: He knew Tyrion was innocent and tried to murder him. This raises the question of diversity concerning those born with physical defects or abnormalities. Certainly during the medieval period, these people were treated terribly. However, it made me also reflect on the mistreatment these people face today. Week Two Today in sociology, we talked about the different suicide rates among different races and genders. Interestingly enough, data shows that white, protestant, affluent, and middle aged men have the highest suicide rate. This was theorized because their wealth allows them to become disconnected with society. I found it interesting learning about the different factors that lead to different ethnicities suicide rates. Week Three I recently watched the movie Blood Diamond. This movie is about a mercenary who goes on a mission to Africa to find a diamond worth millions of dollars. While he is there, he comes into contact with African tribes that enforce brutal tactics in their usage of child soldiers. I was very moved by the movie, and it reminded me of how lucky we are to live in a safe and secure place as America. Watching the movie made the problems that I face seem obsolete, and made me feel like a coward for complaining about them. Week Four I recently watched the movie American History X. This very graphic movie centers around a skin head neo-nazi, Derek, who kills two black men who tried to steal his truck. At this point in the movie, Derek is purely evil, and is the epitome of a racist. However, once Derek goes to prison for his murder, he sees things that alter his views on race. He sees evil and good acts committed by both black and whites. Once he is released from prison, he is a new man who tries to prevent his little brother from becoming a skinhead like he was before. While this movie was certainly controversial and hard to watch because of it's gruesome content, the message it carried was very powerful. Week Five While I do not believe that Trump desires to put down minorities in this country and don't think he is a racist, I definitely think his immigration ban was not intelligent. I completely support strict regulations on immigrants coming into the US. With the current terror situation in the middle east and dangerous drug cartel situation in South America, it is ludicrous for the US to simply let anyone into the country with open arms. However, I also understand that our country thrives on diversity, and have no problem with people immigrating into the country. I believe that Trump should impose stricter regulations and background checks on people coming into the country, rather than simply banning all people from the seven countries he chose. That way, our country can remain safe, while at the same time continuing to grow in diversity. This issue is a very hard one to deal with and does not have a simple solution, so I hope that our countries leadership will be able to work together in finding the best manner to deal with it. Week Six
Today I heard some students in my chemistry class making fun of my professor because of his age. I believe that discrimination against the elderly is one of the most overlooked aspects of diversity. There is so much to be learned from older people, but often they are disregarded as stuck in their ways or crazy. It is important for young people to understand where old people are coming from because it gives a broader perspective of what created the world we live in today. Simply mocking them is no way to make this happen. I hope that more attention will be given to this issue in the future because I feel like it is overlooked in our current society.
Week Seven
We recently discussed the tendency of groups of people with similar qualities to seek knowledge from diverse people. We discussed the reality that groups who are larger and less diverse tend to turn inward for advice and knowledge, while smaller and more diverse groups are more open to interaction with people different than them. This dynamic is key to expanding diversity in present times. All of us individually should take up responsibility in making sure that we surround ourselves in groups and organizations that push us to learn about different cultures and beliefs, rather than just exposing to ourselves to those who we are similar with. Doing this task forces us to move out of our comfort zone, so it can be difficult for people who become uncomfortable around people different from them. However, overcoming this fear is critical to furthering the progress of eliminating discrimination in the modern world, so it is a sacrifice that needs to be committed to.
Week eight
I was watching the show Game of Thrones last night. In the show, the royal family consists of a father (the military commander), his two sons (one is a midget and the other is a mighty night), and his daughter (the queen). After the knight brother is captured by an enemy kingdom, the father, Tywin, who despises his crippled son, plots to have him killed by falsely blaming him after the king is assassinated. Tyrion, the accused son, escapes and kills Tywin, then flees the city. The treatment of Tyrion by his own father wis disgusting: He knew Tyrion was innocent and tried to murder him. This raises the question of diversity concerning those born with physical defects or abnormalities. Certainly during the medieval period, these people were treated terribly. However, it made me also reflect on the mistreatment these people face today.
Week Two
Today in sociology, we talked about the different suicide rates among different races and genders. Interestingly enough, data shows that white, protestant, affluent, and middle aged men have the highest suicide rate. This was theorized because their wealth allows them to become disconnected with society. I found it interesting learning about the different factors that lead to different ethnicities suicide rates.
Week Three
I recently watched the movie Blood Diamond. This movie is about a mercenary who goes on a mission to Africa to find a diamond worth millions of dollars. While he is there, he comes into contact with African tribes that enforce brutal tactics in their usage of child soldiers. I was very moved by the movie, and it reminded me of how lucky we are to live in a safe and secure place as America. Watching the movie made the problems that I face seem obsolete, and made me feel like a coward for complaining about them.
Week Four
I recently watched the movie American History X. This very graphic movie centers around a skin head neo-nazi, Derek, who kills two black men who tried to steal his truck. At this point in the movie, Derek is purely evil, and is the epitome of a racist. However, once Derek goes to prison for his murder, he sees things that alter his views on race. He sees evil and good acts committed by both black and whites. Once he is released from prison, he is a new man who tries to prevent his little brother from becoming a skinhead like he was before. While this movie was certainly controversial and hard to watch because of it's gruesome content, the message it carried was very powerful.
Week Five
While I do not believe that Trump desires to put down minorities in this country and don't think he is a racist, I definitely think his immigration ban was not intelligent. I completely support strict regulations on immigrants coming into the US. With the current terror situation in the middle east and dangerous drug cartel situation in South America, it is ludicrous for the US to simply let anyone into the country with open arms. However, I also understand that our country thrives on diversity, and have no problem with people immigrating into the country. I believe that Trump should impose stricter regulations and background checks on people coming into the country, rather than simply banning all people from the seven countries he chose. That way, our country can remain safe, while at the same time continuing to grow in diversity. This issue is a very hard one to deal with and does not have a simple solution, so I hope that our countries leadership will be able to work together in finding the best manner to deal with it.
Week Six
Today I heard some students in my chemistry class making fun of my professor because of his age. I believe that discrimination against the elderly is one of the most overlooked aspects of diversity. There is so much to be learned from older people, but often they are disregarded as stuck in their ways or crazy. It is important for young people to understand where old people are coming from because it gives a broader perspective of what created the world we live in today. Simply mocking them is no way to make this happen. I hope that more attention will be given to this issue in the future because I feel like it is overlooked in our current society.
Week Seven
We recently discussed the tendency of groups of people with similar qualities to seek knowledge from diverse people. We discussed the reality that groups who are larger and less diverse tend to turn inward for advice and knowledge, while smaller and more diverse groups are more open to interaction with people different than them. This dynamic is key to expanding diversity in present times. All of us individually should take up responsibility in making sure that we surround ourselves in groups and organizations that push us to learn about different cultures and beliefs, rather than just exposing to ourselves to those who we are similar with. Doing this task forces us to move out of our comfort zone, so it can be difficult for people who become uncomfortable around people different from them. However, overcoming this fear is critical to furthering the progress of eliminating discrimination in the modern world, so it is a sacrifice that needs to be committed to.
Week eight